February 17, 2013

Diaper Bag Essentials from Hello! Happiness!

One of my fellow mommy bloggers, Colleen from Meet the Sullivans, asked me to participate in a fun series called "My Diaper Bag Essentials" and I thought it would be interesting to show ya'll the necessities we can't leave home without. Let's face it, I don't really carry a purse these days because I've already got an arm full with all of Caroline's gadgets and gizmos...so let's have a little show and tell.

Oh, and before I forget, I guess I should introduce myself! I'm Natasha fromHello! Happiness. In a nutshell, I'm a southern girl from Tennessee who loves to entertain, travel, workout, decorate, shop, and spend time with my friends and family. I am a stay-at-home mom to Miss Caroline (11 months) and now anticipating the arrival of our next daughter and bundle of joy (estimated arrival June 28th). I most always have a smile on my face and am the eternal optimist. Nice to meet yall ;)

First off, the bag itself. I splurged and bought the Kate Spade Stevie Bag and though it was an "investment", I am so glad I did. It's roomy with lots of compartments for storage, has a FANTASTIC mat for easy diaper changes on the go, doesn't scream "baby bag", and I kept it simple and opted for the black fabric to hide all the lovely things that get spilled on it along the way. (P.S. if you subscribe to Kate Spade, they send emails all the time for sales and such so you can get it on sale if you watch closely!) Attached to the bag is a personalized tag that has Caroline's name on it...perfect for when she is at the church/gym/MOPS nursery and they need to identify her belongings quickly. I bought it from Monogram Marketplace on Etsy.

Ok, now onto the "stuff"...

First up, my Dilly BabyChange N Go set. I don't know what I would do without this lifesaver. It's a small bag where we put our travel wipe box, 2-3 diapers, A&D ointment, and baby powder. This is AMAZING...hands down one of my favorites! Especially great for when we're out at restaurants and I don't want to take the entire diaper bag in the restroom when I change a diaper. Plus, the Amy Butler fabric is feminine and cheerful!

In other compartments you'll find our medicinal items that we like to carry just in case someone isn't feeling well. This includes orajel for teething, motrin and/or ibuprofen for fever, hand sanitizer (for obvious reasons), and Johnson's cleansing towelettes.

As for snacks and such, we carry a few quintessential items. We never leave home without a Dr. Brown's bottle, a handy dandy small container filled with powder formula and an Enfamil pre-mixed liquid, some Plum Organics pouches, disposable place mats, our Beaba fork and spoon set, and my newest friend, the Innobaby Packin' Smart Storage System. This is WONDERFUL as we can put a few different snacks in each compartment and hit the road.